Suction cleaning apparatus



Jan. 21, 1941. F HANSEN 2,229,083

SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 23, 19158 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVENT OR. $50 [I Hausa/v jam j/mwjfw/ I ATTORNEY Jan. 21, 1941. F, E HAN-EN 2,229,083

SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 23, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. flee-0 f. f/mvaan m 7M f w f ATTORNEYfl Patented Jan. 21, 1941UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUCTION CLEANING APPARATUS Fred E. Hansen,Lakewood, Ohio Application December 23, 1938, Serial No. 247,349 6Claims. (c1. 183-36) This invention relates to cleaning apparatus. andmore particularly to improved suction cleaning apparatus which isespecially useful for the cleaning of automobiles": furniture andvarious I other cleaning operations. An object of my invention is toprovide improved suction cleaning apparatus capable of producing apowerful suction and having a novel dust-collecting means. i

Another object of my invention is to provide improved suction cleaningapparatus having its dust-collecting means arranged so thataselfcleaning of the filtering element is obtained.

Still another object of my invention. is to provide improved suctioncleaning apparatus capable of producing a powerful suction and in whichthe degree of suction and the load on the suction creating device aresubstantially unaffected by the accumulation of waste material in thedustcollecting chamber. I

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from thefollowing description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingsheets: of drawings, in which i i through suction cleaning apparatusembodying j my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on a larger scale taken through thesuction creating device;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through my suction cleaningapparatus as indicated by line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is another transverse sectional view taken through the apparatusas indicated by line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 5 and 6 are transverse sectional views taken through the suctioncreating device at points indicated. respectively. by the section lines5--5 and 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on a larger scale taken through aportion of the filtering element and inner container of thedustcollecting means; and

Fig. 8 is another fragmentary sectional View. 5. illustrating a coverlatch of the outer container i and taken as indicated by line 8- 8 ofFig. l.

For the purpose of describing the construction and use of my improvedsuction cleaning apparatus, more detailed reference will presently hemade to the drawings. Before proceeding with the detailed description,however, it should be understood that my invention is not necessarilylimited to the embodiment of the invention. which is here shown .by wayof example, but may be embodied in various other suction cleaningdevices and apparatus.

My improved suction cleaning apparatus com prises in general an outercontainer or housing l0. having dust-collecting means 2|] therein, and asuction creating device or air impelling means x prevent the passage ofdust.

log element is preferably of tapering form. that H having'ap intake pipeor connection l2 with which a suction nozzle or pick-up tool I! may beconnected by a flexible conduit l4 and a discharge pipe l5 leading tothe dust-collecting means for delivering dust-laden air to the latter. 5The housing l0 may be in the form of an upright metal container,preferably, though not )means is supported, as will presently beexplained. To permit the apparatus to be readily moved from one positionto another, the outer container may be mounted on a plurality of casterszl. l

The dust-collecting means 20 may comprise an upright inner container 23having side and .bottom walls. and a filtering element 24 extend- 1 jing across the top thereof. Fig. 1 is a partial vertical sectional viewtaken .5

This inner container is also preferably, though not necessarily. ofcylindrical shape and is of a smaller diameter than the outer containerin so that it can be readily lowered into or removed from the latter andso that an intervening space 25 will be provided between the walls ofthe containers forming a downwardly extending air passage leading toatmosphere through the bottom opening of the outer container. Asindicated in Figs. 1 and 4 the inner container is supported upon thetransverse frame work |9 when lowered into the outer container and maybe held against lateral shifting by the upright spacing clips 21 whichare connected to the inner surface of the wall of the outer container atcircumferentially spaced points. For convenience in lifting the innercontainer into or out of the outer container it may be provided withdiametrically disposed handles 28 of ap ropriate size and shape.

The filter element 24 maycomprise a tubular or bag-like member formed ofair pervious sheet material such as a suitable fabric which will readilypermit the passage of air but which will This tubular filterat 3| toprovide a flange or shoulder for preventing the lower end of the filterfrom becoming disconnected from the container. The relatively smallopening at the upper and of the filter may have a grommet 32 therein ofa size to slidably receive the discharge pipe I5 of the suction deviceII.

The inner container 23 forms a collecting chamber for dust or otherrefuse and for this purpose may be provided adjacent its upper end witha bafile or deflector member 34. This member may be in the form of aninwardly dished or tapered cover having a rim portion adapted to fit theupper end of the container and a central opening 36 through which thedischarge pipe I5 extends into the dust-collecting chamber. The opening36 is considerably larger than the outer diameter of the discharge pipeI5 so as to provide an escape opening for the passage of air out of thedust-collecting chamber.

As will be readily seen from Fig. 1 the filtering element 24 is disposedacross the top of the container 23 outwardly of the deflecting member 34so that air escaping from the dust-collecting chamber through theopening 36 will be filtered before escaping to atmosphere through thepassage or space 25 and the bottom opening of the outer container. Byconstructing the deflector member 34 with an inwardly extending bulge ortaper it will be seen that the dust or other refuse contacting the samewill readily slide down its sloping surfaces toward the opening 36 andwill drop downwardly therefrom into the dust-collecting chamber.

For supporting the filtering element 24 in a more or less distendedcondition and to prevent this element from collapsing and dropping downonto the deflector 34 or into the inner container 23, I may provide aframe-like structure 38 extending upwardly from the inner container andover which the filtering element extends, as shown in Fig. 1. Thisstructure may be formed of connected metal bars, hardware cloth orpoultry Wire or any other suitable material and, if desired, may bemounted on the rim portion 35 of the deflector member 34. The structure38 is preferably of ring-like form so that the relatively smaller upperend of the filtering element can extend in a reverse or downwarddirection into this supporting structure. If desired this end of thefiltering element may be retained in such inwardly extending relation byproviding a collar or flange 40 at an appropriate point on the dischargepipe I5. Leakage of air through the grommet 32 and past the flange 46may be prevented or retarded by a felt sealing washer M lo.- cated onthe pipe I5 between the washer and the grommet.

With the arrangement just described for the filtering element it will beseen that when dustladen air is discharged or delivered downwardlythrough the pipe I5 into the inner container 23 a flow of air with moreor less dust therein will pass upwardly through the opening 36 of thedeflector 34 and as this air passes through the filtering element thedust will be screened or extracted therefrom. Since the filteringelement is supported in a. more or less distended condition by thestructure 38 and can be readily puffed out by the air, its entiresurface area will at all times be effective for filtering purposes.Moreover, in locating the filter to extend across the top of thecontainer 23 and supporting the same by the structure 38, it will beseen that dust or other material screened from the outward flow of airby the filter will readily drop therefrom onto the tapering deflector 34and thence pass down. into the dust-collecting chamber. The alternatepufling out and partial collapsing of the filter will cause more or lessmovement thereof tending to loosen the dust therefrom. It will thus beseen that an efiicient filtering action and a selfcleaning of thefiltering element is obtained.

The suction creating device II is preferably, though not necessarily,mounted on the cover I6 so that the discharge pipe I5 may depend fromthe underside of the cover and extend downwardly through the filteringelement and into the dust-collecting chamber. While various kinds ofsuction creating devices can be employed, I have devised a device whichwill produce a high vacuum and accordingly a strong suction at thenozzle I3. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, this suction creating devicemay comprise a hollow body 43 having a cover or intake fitting 44rotatably and detachably connected thereto. The cover may telescope overa grooved annular extension 45 of the body 43 for swivelling or rotativemovement thereon and may be detachably connected with the body by athumb screw 46 engaging in the groove of the projection 45. The intakeconnection I 2 with which the flexible conduit I4 is connected may beformed integral with the cover 44 so that the intake passage willcommunicate with the chamber 41 of the body 0 through the recess orchamber 48 of the cover.

A screen or basket 49 formed of hardware cloth, or other suitableforaminous material, may be removably suspended in the chamber of thebody 43 .so that the air stream flowing through the latter must passthrough the screen. The screen preferably has mesh or openings of arelatively large size so that dust and lint can readily passtherethrough but of a size to retain foreign bodies or articles of alarger size which might otherwise cause damage or clogging of the suction creating device. To afford a view of the screen 49 I may providethe cover 44 with a window 50 in the wall thereof. This window may be ofany desired size or shape, and as shown in this instance, may besemi-spherical and located at the top of the cover 44. By lookingthrough this window the operator can see whether the strainer 49 hasbecome clogged or partially clogged with material which should beremoved. He can also observe, by merely glancing at the window. whetherdust or the like is passing through the intake passage and will thus beinformed whether or not the apparatus is functioning properly. When thescreen 49 becomes clogged or partially clogged the cover 44 can bedisconnected and the screen removed for cleaning, or for recovery ofjewelry or the like which may have been picked up by the suction nozzleI3.

As the suction producing or air impelling means I may employ a jet .ornozzle 52 and a restricting means or Venturi element 53 with which suchjet cooperates. The element 53 may be mounted in the body 43 just abovethe discharge pipe I5 and the jet 52 may be supported in the bodyimmediately above such element. The element 53 has a restricted passage54 therethrough with oppositely disposed converging and divergingsections 55 and 56 at opposite ends of the restriction. The jet 52 isarranged in axial alignment with the element 53 so as to discharge ahigh velocity stream of air through the restricted passage thereoftoward the discharge pipe I5 to thereby create a vacuum or suction in Ithe intake passage and nozzle I3 and to cause a flow of the dust-ladenair into the dust-collecting chamber of the inner container 23.

Compressed air may be supplied to the jet 52 through a passage 51 withwhich an air supply hose 58 connects. A manually operable valve 59controls the passage 51 and is located so as to be convenientlyaccessible to the operator.

My suction cleaning apparatus can be operated with a quantity of water60, or other suitable liquid, in the bottom of the inner container 23.This water will be agitated by the air being discharged through the pipel5 and will wet and,

settle the dust in the dust-collecting chamber thereby preventing anexcessive amount of dust from collecting on the filter. The deflector 34will also prevent the water from contacting the filter 24. The weight ofthe water in the container also acts as ballast which assists in keepingthe apparatus upright on the casters 2|.

From the arrangement and construction above described it will be seenthat the suction'creating device I I and the cover l6 are removable as aunit from the container or housing to. Likewise it will be seen that thedust-collecting means 20 comprising the inner container 23, thedeflector member 34, the supporting structure 38 and the filteringelement 26 can also be removed as a unit by lifting the same from theouter container ill whenever the dust-collecting chamber is to beemptied. It will likewise be seen that my suction cleaning apparatus canbe easily rolled from one position to another by reason of the provisionof the casters 2i and such shifting of the apparatus can frequently beaccomplished by the operator merely pulling on the flexible conduit I 4.Fur-- modifications as do not constitute a departure from the spirit orthe invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. In suction cleaning apparatus, an outer container having a cover, airimpelling means mounted on said cover and having a pipe depending fromthe underside of the cover for delivering dust-laden air, an innercontainer supported in the outer container and into which said pipeextends, said inner container having side and bottom walls defining achamber for collecting refuse, and a filter extending across the top ofthe inner container and having an opening to accommodate said pipe, saidcover and impelling means being detachable as a unit from the outercontainer and said inner container and filter being removable from theouter container as a unit.

2. In suction cleaning apparatus, an outer container having a cover, airimpelling means mounted on said cover and having a pipe depending fromthe underside of the cover for delivering dust-laden air, an innercontainer supported in the outer container and providingadust-collecting chamber into which said pipe extends, an inwardlydished cover for the inner container forming a battle having an openingof a size to accommodate said pipe and to permit the escape of air fromthe dust-collecting chamber around said pipe, a ring-like structure onsaid cover and extending above the inner container, and a flexiblefilter element connected with the inner container so as to extend acrossthe top thereof and to be chamber, means for delivering dust-ladenairinto said container, a flexible filter bagconnected with saidcontainer adjacent said open top'and extending thereacross, and aring-like structure mounted on the container and extending above theopen top thereof for supporting said filter bag in, an upwardlydistended condition relative to said open top 01' the container. 7

4. In suction cleaning apparatus, a housing, a container in saidhousing, said container having impervious side and bottom walls andforming a dust-collecting chamber, an inwardly dished cover for thecontainer forming a baffle having an air escape opening therein, meansfor delivering dust-laden air into said container, a ring-like structuresupported by the container and extending above said cover, and aflexible filter bag connected with the container adjacent the topthereof and extending thereacross above said cover, said filter bagbeing at least partially supported by said ring-like structure in anupwardly distended condition relative to said cover.

5. In suction cleaning apparatus, an outer container having a removablecover and an opening for the escape of air to atmosphere, an innercontainer open at the top thereof and having impervious side and bottomwalls forming a dustcollecting chamber, a filter bag connected with theinner container adjacent the top thereof and extending thereacross, andmeans for delivering dust-laden air into said inner container includinga pipe depending from the cover of the outer container and extendingthrough said filter bag and into said inner container, said innercontainer and filter bag being removable as a unit from said outercontainer. 7

6. In suction cleaning apparatus, an outer container having a removablecover and a bottom opening to atmosphere, an inner containerhaving'impervious side and bottom walls forming a dust-collectin'chamber and being disposed in the outer container with the side wall ofthe inner container spaced from the side wall of the outer container toform an air passage leading to atmosphere through said bottom opening ofthe outer container, an inwardly dished cover on said inner containerand forming a baffle having an air escape opening at the lowest pointthereof, a fiexible filter bag connected with the inner containeradjacent the top thereof and extending thereacross above said inwardlydished cover, a ringlike structure supported by the innercontainer andextending thereabove for supporting the fliter bag in an upwardlydistended condition relative to saidinwardly dished cover, and means fordelivering dust-laden air into said inner container including a pipedepending from the cover of said outer container and extending throughsaid filter bag and the air escape opening of said inwardly dishedcover, said inner container with said filter bag thereon being removableas a'unit from said outer container.

FRED E. HANSEN.

